Understanding the Basic Construction of Windshield Glass Replacement in Long Island

When a vehicle windshield develops a crack, the owner may understand that the windshield isn’t going to suddenly shatter and break into a hundred shards of sharp glass. It will remain in place, even if the crack spreads further. It’s likely the vehicle owner doesn’t understand exactly why this is. A technician that does Auto Glass Replacement in Long Island can explain the difference between windshield glass and the glass in the other vehicle windows since those often do break into pieces upon impact instead of just cracking. However, the glass has been tempered, so it collapses into small pieces that are not sharp. This is the way windshields used to be constructed as well.

For several decades now, windshields have been made of two glass panels laminated in between. This is similar to the way the hurricane-resistant glass is constructed for homes in regions prone to these storms. Even if the impact is severe enough to shatter the glass on the exterior, it will stay in place. The underlying glass may not be affected at all, but if it does break, it won’t fall into the interior. The lamination holds it together. That’s a significant safety feature.

Consider a driver on the road when the windshield is hit by relatively a large object while traveling through an overhead construction zone. If the windshield were to shatter into smooth pieces, that could easily lead to an accident as the driver deals with the sudden scary situation. The object that hit the windshield would probably continue hurtling into the vehicle. In contrast, with laminated glass, the impact and the resulting spider web of cracks will be startling, but the driver should be able to keep the car under control.

The convenience factor is worth noting as well. In this circumstance, the vehicle owner can usually drive the car or truck home or to another destination. He or she then can schedule Glass Replacement in Long Island at a convenient time. A company such as Active Auto Glass Inc can do this work at the shop or send a technician out to a mobile unit.